Bailey Murder Linked to Muslim Bakery

"Firearm evidence" found in pre-dawn raids conducted at the bakery and three other locations in the city is connected to Bailey's murder and several other violent crimes, said Assistant Police Chief Howard Jordan. The owner of the bakery, Yusef Bey IV, and six other employees were arrested on suspicion of murder, robbery and kidnapping, he said. Two others tied to the bakery remain at large.

The weapon believed used in the murder of Bailey was also confiscated during the raids.

Homicide detective Ersie Joyner said the execution of high risk warrants Friday culminated a year-long investigation into several crimes, including a violent kidnapping, robbery and torture case on May 19. The suspects in the case are believed responsible for three other murders since then, including Bailey's, according to Joyner.

KCBS' Team Coverage: Bob Melrose and Chris Filippi report

Joyner would not elaborate on a motive in the murder of Chauncey Bailey, though Bailey was said to have been working on an investigative piece on the bakery. The well-known journalist was gunned down Thursday morning near the Alameda County courthouse in downtown Oakland.

Oakland Police News Conference

According to Joseph Debro, an Oakland businessman who writes a column for the Post, Bailey had recently asked him for information about bankruptcy proceedings for a story about the bakery.

"To him it was just another story," Debro said. "He wasn't apprehensive or anxious about it at all. He said he was working on a bunch of stories and this was one."

A S.W.A.T. team and other high-ranking police officials were at the bakery  at 5832 San Pablo Avenue to oversee Friday's raid operation, marked by blasts which rang out from inside the bakery and a number of S.W.A.T. team members armed with rifles.

The raid began about 4:50 a.m., when three rental trucks and a garbage truck pulled up in front of the bakery, said Dennis Monaghan, a security officer at Siddha Yoga Meditation Ashram, located at the corner of San Pablo and Stanford avenues, just doors down from the bakery.

The trucks were filled with officers holding rifles and gear, he said. The trucks were followed by S.W.A.T. vehicles and patrol cars. About 20 officers assembled in front of the bakery.

"And then you heard go, go, go," Monaghan said. Then there were 15 or so blasts. During the raid, one of the upper windows of the bakery blew out, he said.

The S.W.A.T. team was inside for about an hour, said Monaghan, who added "I haven't seen such action since Vietnam."

The raids were carried out with the help of the Alameda County Sheriff's Department, as well as police from Alameda, Fremont, Hayward and Livermore.

Meanwhile, the Alameda County Health Department shut down the Your Black Muslim Bakery Friday after finding unsanitary conditions and several health code violations.

The late Yusuf Bey founded Your Black Muslim Bakery in 1968 as a haven for struggling urban families. It sells natural baked goods alongside books by Malcolm X and other black leaders and is famed for its bean and carrot pies.

Bey's reputation later took a hit as he defended himself against rape allegations in Alameda County. Most of those charges were later dropped, and one was pending when he died in 2003.

Bey's son, Yusuf Bey IV, then took control of the original bakery and several franchises.

In November 2005, Bey IV was accused by police of being the ringleader in a group of black Muslims from the bakery who smashed liquor bottles in Oakland corner stores and berated the Muslim owners for selling alcohol to the black community, because alcohol is forbidden by Islam.

In 2006, Bey IV was charged with assault with a deadly weapon for allegedly trying to use his BMW to run down several bouncers after being thrown out of a San Francisco strip club. He also faced felony charges in Solano County for allegedly fraudulently using false identification to buy a car.

Your Black Muslim bakery has been plagued with financial problems for several years, culminating in a bankruptcy filing last October.

(clo)